Community Protests against Avelo Airlines’ ICE Deportation Flights
Community groups such as the Immigrant Allies Forum, Indivisible Wilmington, and the Wilmington Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, have been actively demonstrating near Wrightsville Beach, urging the holidaymakers to ‘travel thoughtfully.’ One of the key protest coordinators mentioned they picked this site to maximize the number of travellers they could inform about the controversial arrangement that Avelo Airlines entered with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this year, facilitating deportation flights.
Their concerns stem from the understanding that local funds have been utilized by Avelo to market Wilmington and other destinations to persuade people to visit these places. They are determined to ensure travelers understand that even though the airline fares may be low, there could be a significant detriment attached to human rights as a direct result.
Avelo Airlines, a budget airline company, operates across 23 states. The company inaugurated a new operational base in Wilmington in April. Since that event, there have been a series of protests throughout the city. The first such demonstration against Avelo took place in May, right outside the airport.
These protests form part of a nationwide campaign in a collective effort to place ‘commercial pressure’ on Avelo. This pushback on the airlines follows its agreement with ICE. As one protestor explained: ‘The issue at hand is that Avelo Airlines is the only commercial airline that has a deal with ICE. They’re running deportation flights from Arizona all the way to El Salvador. Therefore, our aim is to ensure the general public is aware of this and boycots the airline.’
While there is a difference in opinion regarding the issue of immigration, altering people’s views on such a polarizing topic is challenging. The determined protestors, however, are emphasizing the point for travelers to reconsider their airline selection. As one of the demonstrators stated, ‘It appears that our efforts are bearing fruit. For instance, a few weeks ago, Avelo withdrew some of its routes and reduced flights in locations outside Wilmington.’
The protestors are keeping faith that these local efforts will bring about significant transformation. Avelo, in defense of its decision to collaborate with ICE, pointed towards its requirement for financial stability. In response to this, a representative from the advocacy groups’ steering committee submitted a formal public records request to the New Hanover County Airport Authority.
It took a few months but then the Deputy Airport Director clarified that the Airport Authority did not sponsor Avelo or sanction any financial amendments in favor of the airline. He shared a copy of Avelo’s standard lease agreement which he added, is typical across all airlines that operate out of ILM. Along with this, he included details of the authority’s promotional program, applicable to all airlines.
Despite these clarifications, repeated exchanges brought to light the fact that local marketing resources have been utilized to promote Avelo flights and the ILM Airport ever since Avelo started operations. Avelo’s commencement of operations has significantly influenced the local economy.
One protestor quoted statistics, drawing attention to the fact that it’s challenging to correlate the notion that Avelo can be considered responsible for a significant portion of the economic activity, given that the total tourist spending in New Hanover County amounted to $1.1 billion in 2023 and the entire annual GDP for the county was less than $20 billion in the last fiscal year.
However, he put forth a more crucial ethical issue, ‘Are we justifying Avelo’s involvement in questionable and inhumane deportation flights simply because we benefit from their other activities? Can we quantify our conscience, allowing these troubling flights to persist?’ These questions underscore the tension between economic advantages and moral implications inherent in this complex situation.